Flying Fish

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Flying Fish

Photograph by Bartek Jarecki, My Shot

A flying fish glides gracefully through the air, mirrored below by its reflection on the calm waters of the Tasman Sea. There are some 40 species of flying fish. All have evolved winglike pectoral fins that allow them to take to the air after an underwater takeoff sprint at speeds of some 37 miles an hour (60 kilometers an hour). The fish have been known to soar 655 feet (200 meters) in a single flight.